


The Deadly Game

by KrozJr



Series: Isobel Saga [3]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-01 09:12:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrozJr/pseuds/KrozJr
Summary: Isobel has now joined the TARDIS crew. But then there’s a crash landing, a chance meeting, and the destruction of time itself.





	1. The Living Game

**Author's Note:**

> This is a 4-part story, and will be posted Saturdays and Wednesdays as usual.

** Part 1 - The Living Game **

 

“My move, pawn to E7.”

The TARDIS crew had discovered four-man chess. They all huddled around the board as Jamie failed, Isobel got distracted by Zoe, and the Doctor and Zoe traded tactical genius.

“King to E7. Stalemate.”

“Not again, that’s the fourth time you two have drawn.” Isobel complained. She had a point, it was getting thoroughly predictable.

“Well, you know, we are both very… logical.” The Doctor countered.

“Does that mean ye are wrong although you have authority, Doctor?” Jamie asked, jokingly. The Doctor glared at him before everything fell on it’s side. The Doctor crawled to the console room.

“What’s goin’ on, Doctor?” Jamie asked.

“The TARDIS is out of control. I’m going to have to initiate emergency landing!” The Doctor panicked. 

“Well isn’t that good.” Isobel sarcastically replied. The ship soon returned to normality.

“Well, we’ve landed,” Zoe said, “atmosphere normal, radiation normal, gravity normal. Shall we go out?”

 

“Where are we. It looks like… a haunted house?” Isobel stated in wonder.

“Yes. I feel like… like I’ve been here before.” The Doctor replied. Suddenly, darts flew out from the wall and stuck into them. The world warped before the travellers before they crumpled to the floor. Tranquilizer darts. They fell down, into positions.

 

“Doctor, what’s happened?” Jamie asked, coming to. He stood, clad in black, a wierd hat on his head. Isobel looked at him, and Jamie watched as she was stuck to a horse. Jamie looked to the other side, and saw Zoe on a podium, tall and proud. Like a queen. A queen…

“Doctor, this is a giant chess set!” Isobel said, stunned.

“Yes, and it seems I am the commander. The king, so to speak. White to move first, pawn to D4.” The Doctor deduced. So, the game of chess began.

 

“Pawn to E4. They moved pawn to D5 so we take that pawn…”

“...Pawn to B4, take the bishop.” They watched in horror as the bishop was atomised…

“...oh, I’m in check. King to H8…”

“...Queen to C2. Wait no, that leads to…” The Doctor said, but could only watch as Zoe was atomised into nothing.

“Zoe…” Isobel cried, distraught…

“...Jamie, knight, move back to D5. Now! No, wait, Jamie!” And thus, Jamie was gone…

“...King to D4, white is in checkmate. We win.” The Doctor said as him and Isobel found themselves free, but at what cost?

“Jamie, Zoe…” Isobel sobbed, her voice cracking, her face streaked with tears.

“Ah, so you beat my little trap. Good for you, I say.” Came a disembodied voice.

“Hold on, I recognise that. Is that… the toymaker?” The Doctor replied.

“Good, Doctor, sharp as ever. I managed to escape your petty little trap through willpower alone.” The Toymaker replied.

“But why did you have to destroy…” The Doctor found himself unable to finish his sentence.

“Simple really, my new masters needed them - no Doctor they’re not dead. Stop being a blithering idiot.” The Toymaker responded, slowly walking into view of the two TARDIS crew members.

“So, you dragged us here and captured our friends. Now what?” The Doctor asked.

“Well, now you’re our playthings. My dolls, if you will…” He cackled as Isobel and the Doctor found strings coming down and attaching themselves to their arms. The Doctor found his arm jerking up and hitting Isobel square in the face. She tried to run but strings attached to her legs and stopped her. They paraded hopelessly in front of the Toymaker, their mouths reforming into zips, unable to open. They were playthings.

 

“Time eddy created. The energy created from the subjects was enough.”

“What of the Toy-maker?”

“He will be… destroyed. Ionize rado-metron.”

“I obey.”

 

“Now, puppet one, say this: ‘I’m a worthless old codger who hates humans.’” The Toymaker dictated.

“I’m a worthless old codger who hates humans.” The Doctor helplessly replied. They’d been here for days, weeks, months. No hope so far.

“Puppet two, say this: ‘Oh Doctor, I don’t know why I thought so of that stupid woman Zoe, I love you so much.’” The Toymaker smiled sadistically.

“Oh Doctor, I don’t know why I thought so of that stupid woman Zoe, I love you so much.” Isobel said begrudgingly. Suddenly, a bolt fired. The Toymaker crumpled, and his two playthings returned to normality. Then, the creature moved in, screaming “You will follow.”, and the travellers had no choice to obey.

 

“Grandfather!”

Susan cried out in horror as the first Doctor disappeared into thin air. Ian, Barbara, and Susan were stuck in a holding pattern until he returned. Meanwhile, One had been dragged down the time eddy to late 20th-century Earth. He dusted himself down and watched as a saucer descended down from the sky. Bolts shot out as there was pandemonium on the streets below. He hid in a building until the ship descended. Next to him, a young girl huddled. Suddenly, she recognised him.

“Doctor! It’s you! As in, first you. Oh but of course you haven’t met me yet, have you. Well, my name’s Sarah Jane Smith, and this is my pet K-9.” Sarah Jane introduced herself, and then motioned a metal dog forward. The Doctor smiled endearingly at the machine.

“Well, my child. I haven’t met you yet but I may have. Did you travel with me? If so, which one?” One asked.

“Your fourth body, mainly. Why?”

“Good heavens, I’m getting careless. Listen, do you fancy-“

“-storming the saucer? Yes.”

“Well that’s settled then. Come along…”

 

“Ugh, me head.” Jamie groaned as he heard a throbbing in his ears. No wait, it was all around him. He opened his eyes and saw Zoe.

“Jamie! You’re awake. I was transported here when I was ‘atomised’. Where are we?” Zoe said at a thousand miles an hour. Jamie looked bemusedly at her before the door opened.

“You will move.” A creature said.

“No, you were… destroyed!” Jamie said in horror.

 

One and Sarah crept closer. The saucer door was open and a ramp up was dropped. They slowly climbed up, into a deserted control room. It was like a game on easy difficulty. Then, they saw four people, all tied up.

“Oh my giddy aunt, it’s… it’s me!” Two exclaimed.

“Ah, so you're my replacement!” One deduced. He set about untying him and Jamie whilst Sarah freed Zoe and Isobel.

“But why are you here, who did this?” Sarah asked.

“It was their slaves who did this but they were under the control of the most awful beings. Almost like pepperpots with death-days.” Zoe said.

“Wait, child, pepperpots with death-rays. That sounds like…” One said, but he was cut off.

A dalek entered and screamed “You are intruders. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!”

**Next Time: Dalek Invasion of Earth, 1984 A.D.**


	2. Dalek Invasion Of Earth, 1984 A.D.

** Part 2 - Dalek Invasion Of Earth, 1984 A.D. **

**Last Time:** One and Sarah crept closer. The saucer door was open and a ramp up was dropped. They slowly climbed up, into a deserted control room. It was like a game on easy difficulty. Then, they saw four people, all tied up.

“Oh my Giddy Aunt, it’s… it’s me!” Two exclaimed.

“Ah, so you're my replacement!” One deduced. He set about untying him and Jamie whilst Sarah freed Zoe and Isobel.

“But why are you here, who did this?” Sarah asked.

“It was their slaves who did this but they were under the control of the most awful beings. Almost like pepperpots with death-days.” Zoe said.

“Wait, child, pepperpots with death-rays. That sounds like…” One said, but he was cut off.

A dalek entered and screamed “You are intruders. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!”

“Wait. The old one matches our records as the Doctor who was there on Skaro. The other one in a suit matches as ‘The Inquisitor’. They may be of use as they have knowledge of time travel. Keep them alive.” A Dalek trundled onto the bridge.

“I obey. I shall lock them all up. Move. Move!” The first Dalek ordered.

“We shall change all defeats. We have received detailed records from future Daleks of all defeats, we shall change them to victories!”

One and Two looked at each other. They started bantering (They didn't have much else to do), and Two tried to determine where One was in his timestream.

“Giant ants? Have you done that yet?” Two asked.

“Yes, just done it. Literally just returned to normal size and jetted off.” One responded. Jamie, Zoe, Isobel, and Sarah were talking about their respective versions of the Doctor.

“Well mine isn’t actually that one.” Sarah said. “Mine had a long scarf and a deep, booming voice.”

“Interesting. Good to know I have a good future, eh?” One interrupted. Two started to play his recorder and it was at that point Jamie snapped.

“Oh, Doctors, why can’t ye do something useful?” He shouted.

“Well Jamie, we’re trapped here-” Two started, but was interrupted by an irate Zoe.

“Yeah, but you have a sonic screwdriver you silly fool. Use it!” Zoe shouted. There was silence for a moment.

“Listen Doc, I’m sorry for snapping at ye, it’s just that I cannae imagine you giving up.” Jamie said.

“Yes Doctor, I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me. Almost as if… no, never mind.” Zoe agreed. The Doctor accepted their apologies and then grabbed his sonic. But it didn’t work.

“It was a nice try, but-” Two started, but was interrupted by the door to their cell opening and a Dalek came through.

“Doctor,” it shouted, “you have confounded the Daleks again and again. But this time, we shall achieve victory. We have used your time energy to transport our Earth attack fleet 180 years back in time. The Earth cannot resist. Daleks are the masters of Earth! Daleks are the masters of Earth!” Then a chorus struck up, the entire ship screaming the same words: “Daleks are the masters of Earth! Daleks conquer and destroy! Seek, locate, annihilate! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!”

Zoe and Isobel huddled together. They were stuck on a ship of screaming maniacal pepperpots that were about to destroy the entire planet. 

“Zoe, have you ever met these creatures before?” Isobel asked, scared.

“No,” Zoe said, “But I think Jamie recognises them. Possibly.” 

“Aye,” Jamie started, but was cut off by a Dalek poking him with it’s plunger.

“You will stand.” The Dalek said punctually, leaving no room for disobedience. Jamie complied, but turned and glared at the creature. The Dalek’s eyestalk twitched subtly, very slightly, while the white-blue light was illuminating Jamie’s face. Jamie stared the Dalek down, then he did something unexpected. He sat down.

“You will obey! You will obey!” The Dalek screamed.

“NO! You want to kill us, why should we comply with you?” Jamie replied. Two started begging for Jamie to agree, Zoe and Isobel were almost in tears, and One was staring off into space trying not to see the inevitable. Then, the Dalek fired.

Jamie leant to one side, and then kicked the Dalek half over. Two immediately saw what he was doing, jumped to his feet, and helped the Dalek collapse. Zoe kicked the Dalek in the grating, and the top fell off. The Dalek immediately stopped twitching as it’s eyestalk drooped and fell to the ground. Isobel, Sarah, and One immediately stood up, cheering. Hurriedly, the group made their way out of the holding cell. They moved through the ship and found an experimenting room. One looked around it, trying to make sense of all of the dials, knobs, bells, and whistles. Zoe and Isobel also went with him, Zoe to help him analyse the equipment and Isobel to photograph it (what else). Sarah looked closer at the device in the centre; it was like a glass and metal sarcophagus with flashing lights on every side. Slowly, she eased the lid up, and it revealed a metal operating table. She then went over to one side and examined the massive control panel next to it. There were many switches and buttons and dials and lights, flashing in and out of sequence, almost mesmerising to the eye. Very mesmerising.

One and Jamie turned and went in the opposite direction. The two chatted about the Daleks, how infernal the were, and how unhappy they were to see them again. Soon, they reached the central room of the Dalek’s saucer, where they discovered it empty. The only sign of life was an inert shell of one, standing there. Jamie cautiously went up to it, pushed the small metal radar dish on it’s back, and then watched as it barrelled across the room, completely unresponsive. Bizarre. One, meanwhile, was trying out the control panel, when he turned a panel and the Dalek’s eyestalk twitched. 

“Doctor, what did ye do? It moved!” Jamie said worriedly.

“What?” One started, but was interrupted by a platoon of Daleks entering through the gate out to the city. It had been a trap. And the two travellers were surrounded.

“Zoe, this machinery is fascinating, truly fascinating. The intricacies of all these little things. Isobel, come and get a snap of this.” Two muttered, staring at one of the many panels. Isobel came over while Zoe went over to see what Sarah was looking at. Isobel’s camera flashed. Zoe went up to the girl who seemed entranced by the dials and asked “What is it? What are you looking at?” Zoe looked at Sarah, who gave no indication of ever hearing her.

“SARAH!” She shouted, but got no response. At last, she turned to look at the lights that the girl was absentmindedly staring at. The lights dazzled her at first, blinking on and off, in and out of sequence, here and there. Zoe tried to take her eyes off them but found she couldn’t, and then she found she couldn’t move. A small part of her brain tried to tell her she should be panicking, but she instead found herself relaxing.

“What are you two looking at?” Two asked from across the room. When he got no response, he asked again. Still nothing, so he sent Isobel over to ask the two what they were looking at. Isobel strode over and looked at the girls. She waved a hand in front of her face and got nothing. Then, she too turned to look at the lights and found herself hypnotised by them. At this point, 3 Daleks came in parading One and Jamie in front of them. Two quickly had no choice to join the boys.

“What have you done with the girls?” Two asked the Daleks.

“We need human slaves.” The first Dalek said.

“We will fit sonic order helmets to humans after we have brainwashed them.” The second expanded.

“They will become the first,” the third started, paused, before continuing, “the first robo-men. Slaves, walk forward.”

“We obey.” The girls said as they mindlessly complied.

**Next Time: A Chase Through Time And Space**


	3. A Chase Through Time And Space

** Part 3 - A Chase Through Time And Space **

 

**Last Time:** 3 Daleks came in parading One and Jamie in front of them. Two quickly had no choice to join the boys.

“What have you done with the girls?” Two asked the Daleks.

“We need human slaves.” The first Dalek said.

“We will fit sonic order helmets to humans after we have brainwashed them.” The second expanded.

“They will become the first,” the third started, paused, before continuing, “the first robo-men. Slaves, walk forward.”

“We obey.” The girls said as they mindlessly complied.

 

One was horrified, Jamie was shocked.

“You cannae do this to them! You’re evil!” Jamie shouted, enraged. Two desperately tried to calm him, but Jamie only turned his anger on him instead.

“So what, are you in league with them again? Why don’t you care?” Jamie shouted angrily. Two remained silent, weighing his options and calculating in his head.

“Hold on my boy, did you just suggest that I make an alliance with them? Or have made an alliance with them? Or will make an alliance with them? Whatever gave you that stupid idea?” One asked, having picked up on the conversation.

“Well, you see, it was a while ago and it was either us all or I work with them. Besides, I lead to their civil war…” Two tried to justify, silently begging for time to finish his calculations. A C sharp minor should do it...

“Yeah, you know what, no. That’s not acceptable, ye cannae use that as an excuse.” Jamie said, slightly calmer.

Two just stood still. Then, he reached for his blue-and-white recorder and pulled it out.

“What is the purpose of that device?” The first Dalek asked. It was obviously the leader as it had a matt black dome on top with small orange lights on top that blinked on and off with every syllable. 

“Why have you pulled it out? You cannot escape.” A hypnotised Sarah said blankly.

“Well, it’s a recorder. It plays music. Like this!” Two said, and then played the most horrid sound on it, a high-pitched off-key squealing that deafened all. It echoed around the room like a horrifying bell.

 

One and Jamie immediately recoiled in shock and even the three Daleks pulled back slightly. The only ones unaffected were the hypnotised girls, and Isobel made a move for Two’s recorder. But Two had worked out this frequency well, and after only a moment, the entire machine in the centre blew and the girls were released from the Dalek’s control. The girls stood, dazed for a moment, before they too recoiled in shock at the ear-splitting noise. Two changed his pitch slightly and the Dalek domes blew off in a shower of glittering sparks that flew across the room, in a sort of beautiful way. Two stopped, and the others all looked at him incredulously.

“Was that your plan all along? How did you do it?” Isobel asked, already back to herself. She remembered everything that had happened, but hadn’t been able to control it.

“Ah, simple really. Just a photo-sonorous relay loop to decode the molecular matrices of the materials involved in the device.” One responded, having sussed it out. Two nodded approvingly.

“What does tha’ mean, Doctor?” Jamie asked.

“He played a note which was specifically chosen to blow up the machines.” Zoe translated. The others nodded.

“Now,” Two said excitedly, “let’s go.”

“Go? Go where?” Sarah asked in confusion. But the Doctors were already out the door.

 

The street before them was ablaze. A glass window was shattered into pieces, shards dotting the road below, which was utterly ruined and spotted with pot holes. A trolley was felled sadly on it’s side, a ruined husk in a ruined road. A dummy from a shop window lay on the battered surface. The buildings were mostly intact, although there were burn marks here and there, a few shards of glass where there had once been windows, and there were scorches of dark and balls of fire littering the litter-strewn street. Then, suddenly, among the unending destruction, came a sound of beautiful hope. A whooshing, wheezing sound, better than children laughing, better than a cry of joy. The sound of a type 40 TARDIS materialising with it’s brakes stuck on. Quickly, Two produced a faintly glowing metal key and ushered everyone in. He let off one last blast out of his recorder and watched in satisfaction as the self-destruct he had subtly set under the premise of examination kicked into gear. He went inside, and found One staring at him.

“I see you’ve done the place up a bit. Hmm, I don’t like it.” One said critically. Two ignored him.

“Doctor, how did the TARDIS get here?” Isobel asked, a little confused.

“Well, the TARDIS was parked in the land of the Toymaker but then when the Daleks shot him the land died. So, the TARDIS escaped into the vortex and tried to materialise near me, the registered driver. Of course, the Dalek time eddy made it move a little, but nevertheless it worked successfully. And here we are!” Two explained.

“So can we just leave now? We defeated the Daleks, are we done?” Sarah asked, hopeful.

“Not quite. The time eddy, young girl, is still active. It may move but it’s still there. We need to stop it.” One replied simply. Two and One then started working, almost in unison, to fiddle with the controls and make everything work again. The ship lifted off, smoother than usual, and went off into time and space.

 

“Report.”

“The London saucer has been destroyed. There was a hack into the computer systems. However, we identified the time capsule belonging to the Doctor leaving the scene. Should we try and make up for our failing?”

“No. Set course for planet Kembel. We will avert the mistakes made, and we will use the devices to make us immune to the Time Destructor.”   
“I obey.”

“What is the probability of the Doctor following us?”

“Estimate chance percentage 85.5843%.”

“Prepare for his attack.”

“I obey.”

 

After a spectacular bit of flying, Two had dropped off Sarah in London and One on his TARDIS with no memories of the incident. Now, it was the three of them again, shadowing the Dalek ship. They flew and flew, always in hot pursuit of their enemies. The Doctor was hunched over one of the control panels, focusing deeply on a screen.

“Doctor,” said Zoe, trying to get the Doctor’s attention, “they’ve changed course, planet 293-0D-gamma.”

“Hold on, that means… Kembel. But they can’t!” The Doctor uttered as a look of horror passed over his face.

“Where’s Kembel?” Jamie enquired.

“The planet where the Daleks nearly destroyed time.”

**Next Time: The Second Destruction**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BTW, just decided upon, at the end of the next story (in 3 episodes time), there will be a week-long mid-season break between the end of the next story and the srart of the fourth.


	4. The Second Destruction

**Part 4 - The Second Destruction**

 

**Last Time:** “Doctor,” said Zoe, trying to get the Doctor’s attention, “they’ve changed course, planet 293-0D-gamma.”

“Hold on, that means… Kembel. But they can’t!” The Doctor uttered as a look of horror passed over his face.

“Where’s Kembel?” Jamie enquired.

“The planet where the Daleks nearly destroyed time.”

 

Kembel. Planet of jungle. One of the many second homes to the Daleks. The Varga were imported here. The deathplace of the legendary (traitor) Mavic Chen, and the tragically deceased turncoat Sara Kingdom. The planet that aged to death. Somewhere, deep in the jungle, was a city. Somewhere else, the police box of an old man and his two companions. Somewhere else again, the remnants of a UN space force rocket. And finally, high in the sky, a saucer slowly descending through the atmosphere. The Daleks, the three left from the defeat at London, had arrived.

 

The Dalek saucer slowly landed. The Daleks strode out into the Kembel jungle. On their heads, a small metal disc flashed blue light every so often. This had been their masterpiece - over several thousand years they were able to procure enough Taranium to be able to create small devices that would neutralise the effects of the time destructor. They quickly entered the Dalek’s control room.

“Halt. Identify yourself.” One of the Daleks already there said. The black Dalek had not ordered any patrols.

“We are from the future. Transferring relevant information now…” The second said. The black dalek waited for a second before saying “Give us the Taranium devices.”

“I obey.”

 

A whooshing, wheezing sound came through the jungle as a small blue box materialised above the undergrowth. Inside, the four TARDIS occupants stood around the console. Isobel was holding down a few levers, Jamie was reporting from another room, giving (terrible) updates on the fault-locator, and Zoe was stood by the databanks, helping the Doctor fly. The TARDIS fell and crashed with a bang as it sank through the Kembel undergrowth. The last time the Doctor had seen this wretched planet, he’d fled through time and space, everywhere from a planet of savages to the egyptian desert. He looked out the scanner.

“Now, you three. Make sure you don’t get pricked by the big moving plant things. Varga, they’re called, and they’re very nasty.” The Doctor warned. Jamie looked slightly concerned, Zoe immediately began to ask questions, and Isobel immediately grabbed her camera. The Doctor sighed and then walked into the undergrowth, fearful of the Dalek’s next move. 

 

Only a small platoon of Daleks had received the Taranium patches, but it was enough. The immunized Daleks started through the slowly aging undergrowth. The five slowly inched in on life forms. Around them, the decay went, slowly at first. They continued on, the grey and blue contrasting with the green of the jungle. The Daleks trundled through the plants. Suddenly, the device fell off one. It panicked, and immediately began to decay a little. The remaining four continued on, not noticing the Varga that found the device.

 

“Doctor, what’s happening to the jungle, it’s getting… older?” Isobel asked. The Doctor looked for a second, before his eyes widened.

“That means they’ve started. We have to get to their head base immediately, hope we can get some of those patches. Otherwise…” The Doctor grimaced. The plants were thicker.

“Otherwise what Doctor?” Jamie asked. Initially, the Doctor ignored him. He didn’t want to think about what would happen. They would be fine.

“Otherwise what happens, Doctor?” Jamie asked again, insistent. The Doctor stopped and turned, a leaf partially covering his face. He was silent for a moment.

“Otherwise we age to death.”

 

Just then, four Daleks, all armed with Taranium, all broke through the undergrowth. The Doctor started and retreated backwards, in a slight panic. Jamie and Isobel crept away while the Doctor distracted them.

“Well, well, well. Here we are. Are you all that survived London?” He asked, trying to keep his gaze from the gently rustling bushes. He succeeded, and the Daleks turned to stare at him blankly.

“Yes. Three of us here are the London survivors, one is immunized.” A Dalek said in a flat, mechanical voice. Zoe suddenly cried out in pain, the time destructor beginning to affect her.

“How many others are unaffected?” The Doctor asked, trying to gauge the scale of the problem.

“None. We are the only ones who will survive.”

“I see. So what, are you going to  _ sneak attack  _ the universe and hope you win?” The Doctor asked, indirectly talking to Jamie and Isobel, before continuing “Are you going to wait and regroup, or are you going to  _ attack now _ ?” 

 

With that, Jamie and Isobel flew out of the undergrowth and yanked the Taranium devices off the Dalek domes. The Doctor took two, putting one on his head and one on Zoe’s, while Jamie and Isobel both put one on theirs. The Daleks suddenly began to spin out of control, in the rapidly decaying jungle. The trees began to turn to chunks which began to turn to splinters which turned to dust which turned to nothing. The plants and creepers slowly fell, like rotting ropes on an ancient ship. And the Dalek shells slowly disintegrated, breaking down and aging to death. The four were soon alone in a dead planet, only a few ashen trees still there. They turned and walked away. Little did they know, another life form was still alive, out there in the deceased jungle.

 

The four slowly went back to the TARDIS. 

“So, is that that?” Jamie asked.

“Well, the Dalek saucer was almost certainly destroyed, thereby ending the source of the time eddy.” Zoe said before the Doctor could. The Doctor, a little put out, bent over and examined some of the petrified plants. 

“Remarkable,” he said, “truly remarkable. It’s almost like… a fossil created in minutes. Truly beautiful.”

“Very, I’m sure, Doctor, but can we go now?” Jamie asked. Isobel suddenly stopped and hissed in pain. Jamie, Zoe, and the Doctor briefly continued before stopping.

“Coming?” Jamie asked.

“Yeah, sure. Just give me a mo.” Isobel said as she pulled the thorn out of her hand. Not far away, in the jungle, the last Varga slowly slunk away. The three travellers, meanwhile, entered their ship and dematerialised.

**Next Time: Outside**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next story will be up on Saturday.


End file.
